Boxes or cartons



April 7, 1959 I D/LEVKOFF 2,830,922

I BOXES 0R CARTIONS Original Filed Dec., 6, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2v INVENTOR David Levkoff United States Patent BOXES 0R CARTONS David Levkotf, Great Neck, N.Y., assignor of one-fourth to Evelyn S. Levkotf, one-fourth to Henry S. Levkolf, and one-fourth to Edith L. Sennet, all of Great Neck, N.Y.

2Claims. 01.229-31 4 This invention relates to boxes or cartons, and more particularly to the tray-like type of carton that is presently widely used for containing fruits, vegetables, candies, baked goods and many other articles. This application is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 473,231, filed December 6, 1954, now Patent No. 2,730,293. y

In this type of tray-like carton, the end walls are usually maintained in an upright or erect position by means of a locking flap provided on each end wall, which flap generally has its end fitted into engagement with a slit provided at the junction of the end wall and the bottom of the carton. Thus, the erection of the carton and the maintenance of each end wall in an erected position is dependent upon the proper insertion of the end of the above-mentioned locking flap in the slit. If this slit-and-tongue engagement is not properly done, the end wall will collapse or flatten.

The erection of a carton constructed as above described is time-consuming; the slits formed in the body of the carton often permit of leakage of the contents, and this is especially true in the case of baked goods, where grease or oil from the goods often produces unsightly spots on the carton around the slits. The projection of the locking flaps through the slits causes the ends of the flaps to extend slightly below the bottom of the carton and this sometimes interferes with the easy handling and transport of the cartons on a conveyor belt. It will be clear from the foregoing that an arrangement whereby dispensing with the tongue-and-slit connection above described will be of importance and usefulness to the trade.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a carton or tray of the character described in which the use of an interengaging tongue-and-slit connection to lock the carton walls in their erect position will be dispensed with. It is an object of the invention to provide a wall lock to maintain the walls of the carton in their erect position by a simple movement of the end walls to such position, and which movement will cause flap portions of the end walls to automatically assume a downturned and locked position which they will maintain indefinitely to holdthe walls upright.

With these, and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed,

Fig. 1 is a face view of a portion of the blank from which the improved carton or tray is produced, the view showing one end of the blank, the opposite end thereof being of similar construction;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the erected carton, looking toward one of the end walls of the same;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view in perspective of the erected carton;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of one end portion of the carton, in a partly folded, flattened position;

"" 2,880,922 Patented Apr. 7, 19 59 Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the outer locking flap folded down and glued in its operative position, and

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view through one end of the erected carton.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Fig. 1 thereof, wherein a portion of the blank from which the carton is produced is disclosed, 1 indicates a panel which forms the bottom of the carton. The two longitudinal fold lines indicated respectively at 2 and 3, define between them a longitudinally split panel that forms the side walls 4 and 5 of the carton. At each of the ends of the longitudinally-extending slit 6 is a cross-slit 7 formed in the inner end wall 8 of the carton. The score lines 9 and 10 extending from the ends of the cross-slit 7 to the junctions of thefold lines 2 and 3 with a transverse fold line 11, produce the webs shown at 12. Projecting from the inner end wall 8 is the inner locking flap 13 which is folded down on the fold line indicated at 14.

The outer end wall of the carton is shown at 15, the same being an integral extension of the bottom 1 as well as a lateral integral extension of the inner end wall 8; The outer end wall 15 is provided with a fold line indicated at 16, beyond which is located the outer locking flap 17 formed as an integral extension of the outer end wall 15.

In Fig. 4 the blank is shown in a partly folded and glued condition. It has been folded on the parallel fold lines 2 and 3 to bring the bottom 1 behind the thenflattened side walls 4 and 5. The bottom 1 has been adhesively secured to the retaining flap 18, which reinforces the bottom panel 1 and forms a part of the bottom of the carton. The outer locking flap 13 is shown as having been folded down on its fold line 14.

As will be seen in Fig. 4, the inner locking flap 17 is provided within a certain area with an adhesive coating 20 and when the flap 17 is folded on its fold line 16 to assume the position shown in Fig. 5, the portion of the locking flap 17 which is glue-coated as above described, will be adhesively attached to the area 21 located between the fold line 14 of the inner locking flap 13 and the fold line 16 of the outer locking flap 17. This attaches the flap 17 to itself, but provides a free-end portion 22 on the flap 17, which portion 22 is maintained in constant contact with the flap 13, but is not physically attached to the same. This free-end portion 22 of the outer locking flap is springily or resiliently held against the inner locking flap 13 without being attached to it.

The carton or tray, with both its ends in the condition shown in Fig. 5, is delivered to the user, and the setting up or erection of the carton to its operative position shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 6, is merely a matter of raising the end walls to an erect position. This is done by folding each end wall upwardly on the fold line 11. When the two end walls of the carton are thus raised, the side walls 4 and 5 will be also raised through the arrangement of the slits 7, score lines 9 and webs 12, which arrangement is known in this art. As inner end wall 8 is raised, it will bring its attached and folded-down inner locking flap 13 down into the carton to the position shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 6, and the downfolded outer locking flap 17 will also fold down into the carton, this action being automatic when the two end walls are moved to vertical position. Since the two locking flaps have their respective fold lines 14 and 16 widely spaced apart, and the inner locking flap is maintained under the constant pressure of the free-end portion 22 of the outer locking flap 17, there is a locking action attained when these two flaps are pivoted inwardly and downwardly to the position shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 6, and the carton will remain erected indefinitely once it has been moved to such position by simple movement of the two end walls toward one another.

.3 I r "the 'erection or'set'ting up of the carton merely requires the movement of the end walls to vertical position, it is apparent that a very substantial saving of time in ewctingthese cartons will be the result. There is :no

interenagement of the :locking wflaps with slits, so that "the Tpnzwision .of apertures in the body of the carton is unnecessary and the prevention of leakage of the contcntfc' out ofthe carton results.

While I :have herein described a single embodiment of invention, .it is to be-understood :that such embodimoat is illustrative since cartons containing the improvema y be made in many other shapes or :forms. Also, ;while Lhavesuggested that-parts of the (carton can Qadhesively attached together, it will be apparent that other equivalent fastening means, such as staples, might be employed as a substitute for adhesive, if desired.

Whntlblaimds:

1, aMcarton-of the character described provided with "a 1mm, :eide walls and an outer .end vwall, webs between sidewallsandttheends of the outer end wall, said webs being toldable to form an inner end wall ofless height "thnmthe outerend wall, a locking'flap "at the upper'end bf #the inner end wall, said locking flap being folded downwardly into the carton to extend over parts of the webs,-the-outerend wall being of greater height ethln 'the-innenend wall and therefore having apart rising ibove' the upper; end of said inner end wall, said outer end wall'being provided at its upper end with a-downturnedmap projecting downwardly into the carton, :eaid having-(a portion adjacent to its end disposed facially the fold line'sof' th'e locking flap and outer end wall-flap being substantiallyparallel and in spaced-ap'a'r't relation to an extent to cause the overlapped flaps to'remain downfolded within the carton after having been folded down into the same.

2. "carton as provided for in claim 1, wherein the outer flap is facially secured to the outer end wall in an area located between thefold line for said outer flap and the fold line for the inner end wall"locking flap, said area being located wholly above the top of -the-inner'end roll.

RterencesClted in theiileo fthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS D.' 136,'-1U1 Salfisber'g Aug. 3, 1943 1,354,012 Bachmann Sept. :28, 1920 1,736,720 -Myero Nov'. 19, 1929 FOREIGN PATENTS 901,178 France Oct. 30, 1 944 468,707 Canada -Oct. -10, 1950 1,027,180 France medicine-cheat. Feb. 11, 1 953 

